Capstan Tax Strategies

Terri S. JohnsonCo-Founder and Managing Partner

BUILT ON TRUST

Capstan Tax Strategies is a professional service firm that collaborates with commercial real estate owners and their tax advisors to maximize tax savings on fixed assets. Building sincere relationships with clients and referral partners has been the primary contributing factor in Capstan’s growth, says co-founder and managing partner Terri S. Johnson. “The cornerstone of our corporate culture is the development of warm professional relationships. Our clients understand that we don’t just want to sell them something, anything at random,” she says. Capstan’s clients appreciate this attention to relationship building, and Johnson says the response has been overwhelmingly positive. To ensure that this relationship-first mentality remains in place as the company grows, Capstan has focused on taking its time with hiring.

Quick Tip: “A leader must be passionate about what she does. If you don’t feel strongly about your work, neither will anyone else.”

As Capstan has expanded, its team has dived deep into the company’s niche market, working to clearly understand the motivations of the players involved. What they discovered was that CPAs were often wary of recommending consulting firms because of the potential for negative experiences to affect business. To help alleviate such concerns, Capstan took care to emphasize its role as an ally and advisor to CPAs. “We take extreme care to respect the CPA/client relationship, and CPAs have been very receptive, recognizing that we do not threaten their client relationships, but that in fact we often strengthen them,” says Johnson.